Winter Temperature Issues

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you! Yes doing a lot of reading and I think I just need to up the quality and get an Inkbird as well.

I live by Finnex titanium and yes Inkbird which will tell you the temperature

 

[Dom]

You think I need to move the heater in the DT?

No

 

[RaisingKane]

I would again suggest looking at your flow I would imagine the return is positioned toward the surface for agitation? Is that true or false if so and say you have good flow its gonna stay around the surface and heated water wont fully mix leacing cold spots. If possible adjust return towards middle if not pointing towards lower section and position wave maker higher for surface agitation this could help circulate the heated water coming directly from sump. How many return lines do you have 1 or 2? What kind of wavemakers are you working with?

Thats a good thought. Yes, returns are pointing towards the left and right of the tank - high for agitation - and the power heads are high on both sides. I have Echo Tech Vortechs.

 

[RaisingKane]

Do you use a temperature controller or are your heaters plugged directly in to the AC outlet?

No Temp controller, but I just ordered an Inkbird and looking at getting two higher quality heaters.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Thats a good thought. Yes, returns are pointing towards the left and right of the tank - high for agitation - and the power heads are high on both sides. I have Echo Tech Vortechs.

Maybe try positioning a return feeding lower to the tank and staggering the wavemakers opposite of the return adjustments to get a good swirl going might help with the temp and overall flow for the bottom areas of the tank. Again that would also allow the heated water to thoroughly cycle through the dt. As opposed to staying more topside and being brough right back to the sump from overflow.

 

[RaisingKane]

Maybe try positioning a return feeding lower to the tank and staggering the wavemakers opposite of the return adjustments to get a good swirl going might help with the temp and overall flow for the bottom areas of the tank. Again that would also allow the heated water to thoroughly cycle through the dt. As opposed to staying more topside and being brough right back to the sump from overflow.

Thank you. Didn't even think about this! Thank you, I will try pointing them lower.

 

[shwareefer]

Thats a good thought. Yes, returns are pointing towards the left and right of the tank - high for agitation - and the power heads are high on both sides. I have Echo Tech Vortechs.

You don't happen to have a DC return pump programmed to slow down at night do you?

 

[EricR]

Thats a good thought. Yes, returns are pointing towards the left and right of the tank - high for agitation - and the power heads are high on both sides. I have Echo Tech Vortechs.

I think the "how many return lines?" question was to get an idea of how much water is being exchanged between the sump and tank (...like turnover rate)

When your tank is down to 73, what temperature is the sump water?
*since probe is in DT but heaters are all in the sump

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Thank you. Didn't even think about this! Thank you, I will try pointing them lower.

Just position one return lower and one wavemaker opposite side of the return that is positioned. Leaving one return for agitation topside and one return lower will cycle the water thoroughly through the system do same with wavemakers

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

I think the "how many return lines?" question was to get an idea of how much water is being exchanged between the sump and tank (...like turnover rate)

When your tank is down to 73, what temperature is the sump water?
*since probe is in DT but heaters are all in the sump

It was to get an understanding of the flow through the system and how much turnover yes. Also to see if anything was cycling the water from bottom towards surface. I am not saying drop the wavemakers in the sand by any means or all the way down but getting good flow at bottom middle and top will help churn the water to be spread throughout the system and cpuld help with temp swings when lights go out and that heat source is taken away. Also nightly flow if being reduced wont help churn if everything is positioned in the top third of the tank. And positioned for more surface agitation. Good flow at the bottom third helps with future problems as well like dead spots and detritus build up sometimes flow can be the culprit of many things and it would be good to make sure now that the flow is an even spread then trying to get it in the future when things start establishing. I have a column tank that i was stumped on for awhile for the heater always running in a 25g system and a heater that was far more then needed adjusting the wavemaker lower helped in not just increasing the flow and dead spot areas but also with the temp.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Whoa... Something is up. I keep my 120g dt/ 25 gallon sump over 76.5 at night with a single 250w heater (another 250 as backup) and house ambient temp at 66 degrees. I'd also move the probe to the sump.

Graphs over 24 hrs. Don't mind the salinity (it's silly). EB4 is for the return pump and main heater.

 

[RaisingKane]

You don't happen to have a DC return pump programmed to slow down at night do you?

I do not.

 

[RaisingKane]

It was to get an understanding of the flow through the system and how much turnover yes. Also to see if anything was cycling the water from bottom towards surface. I am not saying drop the wavemakers in the sand by any means or all the way down but getting good flow at bottom middle and top will help churn the water to be spread throughout the system and cpuld help with temp swings when lights go out and that heat source is taken away. Also nightly flow if being reduced wont help churn if everything is positioned in the top third of the tank. And positioned for more surface agitation. Good flow at the bottom third helps with future problems as well like dead spots and detritus build up sometimes flow can be the culprit of many things and it would be good to make sure now that the flow is an even spread then trying to get it in the future when things start establishing. I have a column tank that i was stumped on for awhile for the heater always running in a 25g system and a heater that was far more then needed adjusting the wavemaker lower helped in not just increasing the flow and dead spot areas but also with the temp.

I DO drop the powerhead speed at night. Should I NOT do this?

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

I DO drop the powerhead speed at night. Should I NOT do this?

I would maintain what you are doing and try maybe just adjusting the positioning. Also @Lbrdsoxfan has a good point. My only concern is with it being a peninsula style tank you are having to move the water from one end of the system all the way down to opposite end and so forth. I would also like to see if putting the temp probe in a different area of the tank. Where and at what depth is it located now. Is this a probe on a controller linked to one of the heaters or is it just a battery operated probe that only reads temp?

 

[RaisingKane]

I think the "how many return lines?" question was to get an idea of how much water is being exchanged between the sump and tank (...like turnover rate)

When your tank is down to 73, what temperature is the sump water?
*since probe is in DT but heaters are all in the sump

Sump is running about 2 degrees warmer so when we are at 73 in the DT - the Sump is 75.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Are you running the heaters on a controller (Inkbird, ranco, apex, hydros, etc...)? Could be the temp controller are bunk on the heaters. Meaning you have the heater set to 78, but it will only heat to 75. BTDT a few times, I went to preset heaters because of it.

 

[RaisingKane]

I would maintain what you are doing and try maybe just adjusting the positioning. Also @Lbrdsoxfan has a good point. My only concern is with it being a peninsula style tank you are having to move the water from one end of the system all the way down to opposite end and so forth. I would also like to see if putting the temp probe in a different area of the tank. Where and at what depth is it located now. Is this a probe on a controller linked to one of the heaters or is it just a battery operated probe that only reads temp?

So it's NOT a peninsula. Its a 130.4 47x25 (ish) tank with the overflow in the middle and two returns on both sides. The probe in on the left side.

 

[RaisingKane]

Are you running the heaters on a controller (Inkbird, ranco, apex, hydros, etc...)? Could be the temp controller are bunk on the heaters. Meaning you have the heater set to 78, but it will only heat to 75. BTDT a few times, I went to preset heaters because of it.

No - I just ordered an Inkbird. Should be here tonight. Thank you Amazon. LOL.

 

[damsels are not mean]

It's a good idea to follow above suggestions so that heat is more under control but temperature stability is probably the least important thing to chase.

It's actually quite unnatural for any of these organisms to experience 77 degrees 24/7 365. Anything in the mid to upper 70s is considered optimal as an average but low 70s and low 80s is very much within the norms of the environments they come from. Swings dont matter either as often cold and warm currents will shift multiple times per day or fish will swim between different pockets of temp and salinity gradients.

 

[RaisingKane]

So it's NOT a peninsula. Its a 130.4 47x25 (ish) tank with the overflow in the middle and two returns on both sides. The probe in on the left side.

Also - please understand my coral situation is for another thread. Lost everything (I mean EVERYTHING - even GSP) to a heat wave over the summer. House temp reached over 90 degrees. Yes. I know I need a chiller. But Winter is proving to be an issue now.